Rail-fastener.



No. 746,-567. PATENTED DEG. 8, 1903.

J. OWEN.

RAIL FASTBNER..

APPLICATION FILED 001223. 1903.

No MODEL.

Patented December 8, 1903.

' UNITED STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN owEN, OE PITTSBUEG, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-FASTEN ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 746,567, dated December 8, 1903.

Application filed October 28, 1903. Serial No. 178,186. (No model.)

Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is to provide certain improvements in means for securing' railroad-rails in place in such Inanner that they Will be held perfectly rigid and secure from spreading and similar defects and which can be readily applied to and detached from the rail whenever desired without detracting from its features of stability and durability.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective View illustrating a portion of a track inwhich myinvention is embodied. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan view illustrating the securing means for the rail-fasteners. Fig. 3 is a detail View of one of the fasteners in its initial form before being attached to the tie.

Referring to the drawings, 10 designates a metallic railroad-tie consisting of a bed-plate 11, provided with and elevated upon supporting-ribs l2, so that ballast may bei disposed around the ribs and underneath the bedplate, thereby forming a solid bed for the rails with a light but strong tie. The tie 10 is provided with anges 13, constituting sidewise extensions of the bed-plate 11, and each of said iianges is formed With two pairs of slots 14, extending entirely therethrough and lying entirely inside the margins thereof.

The numeral 15 designates the rails, each of which rests upon the tie 10, with its baseilauges between the several slots of each pair, and to secure the rail to the tie I have provided fasteners 16, one of which is shown in detail in Fig. 3. Each fastener consists of a preferably fiat bar 17, provided at one side with a flange 18 and also provided with downwardly-turned ends 19, formed at opposite sides with slits or recesses 20, which produce at each extremity of the bar-keys '21, thus providing narrow necks 22 between the keys and bar ends 19.

To secure the rail 15 to the tie, the rail being first supported on the tie between the slots 14, as above described, the bars 17 are laid on the tie transversely, with their iianges 18 projecting over and upon the base-flanges of the rail, and the downwardly-turned ends`19 are extended through the slots 14, and the two webs of the keys 21 are then bent, asV

shown in Fig. 2, to engage the under side of the flanges 13 of the tie, whereby to prevent the withdrawal of the bar and to secure the same iirmlyto the tie. Each fastener is formed of pliant metal sufficiently tenacious to prevent the keys from snapping off when bent and sufficiently rigid to hold the railsecurely.

From the foregoing description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be seen that I have providedilnprovedi means for fastening rails to the ties and for forming a solid and durable road-bed in an expeditious manner and which will allow the longitudinal expansion and contraction of the rails resulting from different atmospheric conditions without` affecting the fasteners, which are firmly secured at each end to the tie at opposite sides thereof.

I claim as my invention-- 1. A rail-fastener, consisting of a bar provided at one side With a flange designed to extend over the base-flange of the rail and said bar also provided with downwardly-turned ends having slits or recesses at opposite sides whereby to produce keys Whose webs are designed to be turned into engagement with a tie.

2. A tie provided with iian ges having slots lying entirely inside of their margins, in combination with a bar provided with a side flange designed to extend over the baseiiange of a rail and also provided with downwardly-turned ends extending through said slots and with keys whose webs are designed to be bent so as to engage the under side of the flanges of the tie.

3. A device of the character described,co1n prising a tie consisting of a bed-plate having side extensions constituting flanges, and ribs upon which said bed-plate is adapted to be supported, the said flanges being provided with slots extending entirely therethrough and lying entirely inside of their margins, and bars arranged to extend across the tie and each bar provided with a side fiange designed to extend over thebase-flange of a rail and with downwardly-turned ends formed IOO at opposite sides with slits 01 recesses forming keys and narrow necks between the said ends/and keys, the said ends being designed for insertion through said slots and the keys being` designed t0 be bent so as t0 engage the under side of the tie-anges. Y

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

ANDREW H. MERCER, LAWRENCE W. BIGHAM. 

